


Misnaming

by Tsushi



Category: Lupin III
Genre: Gen, Mention of Death, oscar specifically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-12 14:41:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29761173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsushi/pseuds/Tsushi
Summary: “How many times do you think Zenigata called Yata “Oscar” by accident?”Inspector Zenigata is a bit distant when Yata first meets him. It turns out to be some trauma from his past that’s holding him back.
Relationships: Yatagarasu Goro & Zenigata Koichi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	Misnaming

It first happened after about a month on the force, he had been assigned to work with Inspector Zenigata. A man with a huge reputation, one of being a commendably diligent and dedicated cop, but incredibly hard to work with and purposely uncooperative.

Yata found Zenigata to be obsessive, distant, curt, and serious. But he was blunt in a lot of ways that made him feel approachable, and Yata admired Zenigata’s sharp observation skills and staunchly moral ideals. For better or for worse, Zenigata was the most famous person in the ICPO, thanks to his particular case.

Yata had seen him on the news before, and looked up to him. Zenigata looked like he always gave the Lupin case everything he had. Yata had never felt that way about anything. People called him “eager,” and that wasn’t untrue. Yata was friendly, outgoing, and a people pleaser. But in his heart, he wasn’t passionate. That was a trait he envied in others. And Zenigata? He was passionate. You could tell even before the word “Lupin” crossed his lips.

For the first few days, Zenigata gave Yata absolutely nothing to do, insisting he do everything alone. He forced Yata to sit at the smaller desk, and didn’t even let his new assistant get him a cup of tea.

Yata figured it must be some sort of hazing, something to endure. He tried to ask for paperwork, tried to at least sort files, but Zenigata would have none of it. Yata sat around, killing time on his phone. He stubbornly read through the news, hoping to accomplish anything that wasn’t a complete waste.

The clock ticked off the last minute of the work day. Zenigata looked up from his own desk and said, “You should head home for the night, Officer.”

Yata was bored, but he did about the same thing at home. Flip through social media, fall into a rabbit hole and end up on wikipedia learning about the major exports of ancient Rome. So if this was his job for a bit, it was fine. It was the same paycheck, even if Zenigata did all the work.

Five days went by, just like that, before Zenigata called him over.

“Officer Yatagarasu.”

Yata stood up, a bit surprised by the sudden break in days of near silence. He stood in front of Zenigata’s desk and Zenigata held out a thin stack of papers.

“Here. I’m sorry for boring you this week. I had to make sure.” Zenigata sighed.

“Sure of what, sir?” Yata raised an eyebrow.

“That you weren’t Lupin in disguise. Imagine the police documents he would have access to if he took a job like yours, even for just a few weeks.”

It clicked, and Yata nodded in agreement, happy to have some meaning to the long week. Still, it was a strange test. It seemed like if Yata could pass it, then it would be easy for an internationally renowned criminal.

Yata ventured a joke, “Can you be sure?” 

And Zenigata’s face told him immediately it was not the right call. Yata nearly felt his soul leave his body at the withering look of annoyance he got.

“Of course I can. Lupin would never be able to sit still for this long.” Zenigata seemed deeply bothered to be questioned on his authority.

“Sorry, sir.”

He rushed back to his desk to do the paperwork in silent apology.

A couple of weeks later, Zenigata had started trusting him with some of the mundane papers and research. He also made ample use of his young assistant to fetch coffee and tea. The atmosphere had warmed slightly and they at least exchanged small talk.

Zenigata had offered to buy them both dinner from the convenience store after work that night. They walked there together.

“We’re goin’ to Brazil next week. If you have a pet... well... I don’t wanna tell ya what ta do, but you’re probably gonna need a friend who really likes watchin it for ya.” Zenigata explained gruffly.

Yata shook his head. He had accidentally killed a few pet fish when he was younger, and the whole thing had left him with a fear of taking care of animals. He’d occasionally looked at pet adoption sites before, scrolling through cute listings, but always ended up thinking of the massive weight of responsibility with abject terror.

“That’s good. They might spend so much time without ya around that they forget all about ya anyway...” Zenigata sullenly pulled a beer from the refrigerated shelf. 

Yata wondered how autobiographical that depressing anecdote was, before walking towards the cashier. Certainly seemed like it could be true.

Zenigata grabbed two beef bowls and Yata tarried for a moment, wondering if Zenigata had chosen for him, before gathering up his courage and handing him a microwavable curry for himself. Zenigata made no comment, then paid and asked the cashier to heat up their meals. They waited at the counter as the little microwave hummed.

Leaning against the front counter, Yata felt his hand brush up against a bright colored package of gum, which he flicked thoughtlessly into his open sleeve. Realizing quickly that this was probably the worst time to steal, he moved his hand nonchalantly into his pocket to deposit it. 

Shoplifting was dumb, and pointless. He could easily pay for it, but sometimes it was just so easy he just got the sudden urge. It was just a small, stupid thrill. But he couldn’t believe he would be so careless as to do it with his supervisor standing right in front of him. Why the hell did he zone out like that? He looked up at Zenigata as casually as he could, to check his sightline.

Zenigata was staring right at him.

A cold sweat was breaking out on Yata’s forehead.

“Better not let anyone else catch ya doin that, Oscar.” 

Zenigata had a stern tone, though he seemed more tired than angry. And as soon as he spoke, he looked even more exhausted. He turned his attention back to the cashier. Yata had thought they had at least moved beyond the wrong names, but he was really not in a position to talk about who was in the wrong at the moment.

Yata pulled the gum back out of his pocket and set it on the counter, flustered with embarrassment. He muttered an inaudible apology. He didn’t even want the gum, but he paid for it before they left the store.

As soon as they left Yata tried frantically to fill the tension in the air, red faced.

“Sir, I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I don’t usually do that, I don’t know what came over me. I just! It was really stupid-“

Zenigata put a hand on his shoulder to stop him. “Forget about it. Nobody got hurt right? Just, remember. We’re representin’ the law. We gotta do our best, Yatagarasu.”

Yata’s fingers gripped the gum in his pocket. “You can just call me Yata, Sir.”

Yata hoped this would make it easier. Plus, it was what most people called him at work.

Zenigata broke into a deep chested laugh. “Yata. I’ve never been more sure someone wasn’t Lupin. I don’t think Lupin could be that amateur even if he tried.”

Yata smiled at him sheepishly. He wanted to reply that most of the time people aren’t as observant so it was usually pretty easy to shoplift, even if you’re not very good. But he was just glad to have the pressure off.

This was a bad habit that he had been trying to shake. He wasn’t looking to IMPROVE at it.

“Glad to hear it, sir.”

—-

The second time was different.

Zenigata had opened up to him more. Enough to tell a few jokes. He sent Yata home early even when he had to pull all nighters himself. He made sure Yata got a bigger portion of their pathetic meal budget. His softness was obvious the longer you knew him.

They had been in multiple Lupin chases, though Zenigata insisted Yata was always given the least dangerous position. Yata didn’t argue, he followed the Inspector closely, but wasn’t able to summon the kind of strength he had seen Zenigata muster.

He watched wide-eyed the way Zenigata scaled a roof, swam after a paddle boat, held onto a rope dangling 20 stories above a crowded street. It was insane. Even on his best day this was far beyond him. Yata at his best could fire a gun on target and make french toast. Zenigata’s feats in keeping up with a nearly supernatural force like Lupin weren’t something a normal human could match.

He was content enough to watch in awe. Even Lupin’s gang were skilled in ways you had to see to believe. Especially Goemon, who moved like he was doing choreography with a sword. It was hard to do anything other than stare.

During that night’s chase, they found themselves confronting a second gang going after the money Lupin had stolen. Zenigata had clearly handled people like this before and he got that stern look back on his face.

“Yata... ya gotta promise me you’ll run if it gets bad.”

“Sir... I don’t think that my report can say that I ran and left you to die.”

“Then lie on the damn report. I won’t care if I’m dead.”

They followed Lupin’s trail on foot to an underground passage, messy hallways poorly lit, clearly used for storage nowadays. Navigation was difficult, especially in a hurry, but the adrenaline and echoed footfalls ahead pushed them forward. Zenigata’s pace was incredible, especially for a smoker who mostly ate junk food.

As they rounded the corner, shots rang out from the darkened end of the tunnel. Yata could feel one as it blasted past his face, hair fluttering in the wake.

“Oscar!” Zenigata shouted, panic pushing the syllables out, hands shoving Yata to the ground.

Zenigata brandished his pistol and shot twice into the dark before ducking. He wrenched Yata up by his lapels, and pulled them both behind the meager available cover.

His eyes were wide, looking at Yata’s shoulders, face, checking for a dreaded trace of blood. “Yata! Are ya okay?!”

This was the first time Yata had even been shot at for real. He was stunned. After being pushed, he had fallen backwards off his feet, ending up on the floor again. He fumbled his gun out from his holster hurriedly, it clattered and lay on the ground beside him as he tried to steady his heart rate.

He was shaken, but unharmed. “I’m fine, Sir...” 

“Thank god...” Zenigata muttered. He’d stopped moving about, and Yata got a clearer look at Zenigata’s face.

There were tears in his eyes.

“Kid, you stay here, radio for backup. I’ll go after these guys.”

He didn’t have time to argue before Zenigata peeked over the top of the box they were hidden behind, then darted into the shadows, charging ahead. Yata let out a slow breath, and did as he was told. He called for backup, and sunk backwards against the box, finally having time to think.

He had assumed Oscar was someone else in the office. But Zenigata had used that name twice, and both times he’d had a protective look. It meant something, and Yata knew he had to find out what. 

He stayed as on guard as he could, but Zenigata had left him to wait again, and with nothing to do, Yata pulled out his phone. He had some wifi signal in the basement, and backup would take awhile to show.

He typed “Oscar” and “Inspector Zenigata” into the news tab, and braced himself. 

He did not brace himself enough. The news articles were much worse than he’d expected. 

Photo results of Zenigata in front of a dozen microphones, at a press conference, looking tired and angry. Yata scrolled down to one Zenigata in tears at a funeral. Some woman with a hand on his shoulder and a young girl next to him, captioned as his wife and daughter, though Yata couldn’t remember a single time Zenigata had ever mentioned them.

Yata closed the tabs and put his phone back into his pocket, feeling guilty. It all felt like details that shouldn’t be published for the world to see. Yata wondered if someday he would have news stories this invasively written about him. All because Inspector Zenigata had such strong dedication to his job capturing a fame-loving criminal. It didn’t really seem fair that just doing his best, doing his job, Zenigata had to have pain on display for everyone.

It made Yata resent Lupin for the first time. Even without noticing, Yata had found Lupin’s heists somewhat… too amazing to really hate. The articles said that a criminal organization had killed Oscar, not Lupin. But Lupin was the one who brought all this stress and attention to Zenigata. Lingering pains he didn’t deserve at all.

He retrieved his gun, pulled himself to his feet, and scanned the area for activity. He heard a noise. Approaching footsteps. Yata quickly squatted back behind the box, pistol at the ready.

“Guhuhuhu...” An eerie, gleeful laugh echoed nearby, “can’t believe Pops ran right past us! He’ll run into the Minella gang and be too busy dealing with em to catch up to us all night. Couldn’t be more perfect!”

“Two annoying birds with one stone, alright.” A hoarse chuckle in reply.

Goosebumps stood up on Yata’s arms. Those were voices that Zenigata had played recordings of for him. Zenigata’s training was focused mainly on one voice, and a hundred permutations, a hundred accents and permutations.

It wasn’t even trying to hide or disguise itself right now. And it was getting closer. The Inspector would probably want him to hide, but he was angry and even more concerned about Zenigata’s fate further down the hall. He had to try.

Yata steeled his courage and stood up stiffly. He spoke as firmly as he could, “Stop right there, Lupin.”

Lupin and Jigen were both carrying large suitcases, and Yata aimed his gun straight at Lupin, the center of mass, not wanting to overestimate his skill. Goemon wasn’t with them, so he at least had a sliver of a chance.

“Ohhh my god Jigen! It’s Pops’ baby chick!” Lupin laughed harshly, not flinching even slightly at the gun being pointed at him.

Jigen clicked his tongue, teeth clamped firmly on a fresh cigarette. “Good for him. Zenigata’s been brooding long enough, glad to see the egg finally hatched.”

Lupin howled with laughter. Yata was right here, with his finger on the trigger, and they didn’t care a whit. Yata took a step closer, not lowering his aim. 

“Drop those cases and do the right thing, let me take you in.” 

Lupin smirked, “are you really expecting that to work?”

Yata didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure what he expected, but looking weak wasn’t going to give him a better chance of success. He stayed quiet, and stared into Lupin’s eyes.

The eyes gleamed, a sudden idea lighting them up. “Though it would be really hilarious, if I let you. I bet the Inspector would lose it! He would congratulate you, throw you a big party, put you up in the spotlight... but he’d resent you forever. Taking his one purpose in life away from him.” 

Lupin gave a carefree little shrug, his smile still plastered on his face.

“You’re... really an asshole, you know that?” Yata finally said. Quietly, but not letting himself back down. “He’s not like that.”

“Ohhhh and you would you know best, huh? I know more about Zenigata than he’d ever tell anyone. Especially not his little coffee caddy.” 

Lupin’s grin dared him to refute, but Yata knew better than to try. He took another step closer to Lupin.

“Maybe we should find out. You put your hands up and let me take you in, and we can see how he reacts.”

Lupin gave another snicker, seemingly charmed by the unexpected bravery. Yata wasn’t confident enough to talk like this to most people, but Lupin really knew how to push a person’s buttons. 

Nobody got to talk about Zenigata like that. Least of all this man.

Unfortunately, Jigen had his magnum in his hand before Yata even saw him reach for it.

“Go back to your momma hen.”

Yata frowned, unmoving. Jigen shook his head with a disappointed sigh, and cocked the magnum.

Yata lowered his gun. Zenigata had told him Lupin wasn’t particularly bloodthirsty, but he hadn’t said much about Jigen. Best case scenario, Jigen would shoot the gun out of his hand, and the department head would find some way to take it out of Zenigata’s paycheck.

“The Inspector is a good person. You should stop ruining his life.” Yata’s gun was pointed at the floor now, but he still stared at Lupin accusingly.

“Did he tell you I ruined his life?” Lupin rolled his eyes.

“No. But he works all the time because of you... he always thinks people might be you, so he doesn’t even make friends...”

Lupin burst into laughter, and Yata gritted his teeth. It was all a joke to him.

Lupin strode over, grabbed Yata by the wrist, and deposited his case into Yata’s empty hand. Yata stated dumbly at it, before looking up at the smiling man.

Lupin patted him on the head, still grinning. “Jigen? Give him yours.”

Jigen said nothing, but handed Yata the other very heavy briefcase. He didn’t even wait for Yata to holster his gun.

Yata now had his hands very full.

“Congrats, you recovered the loot!” Lupin chortled, and with a weird flick of his wrist, confetti burst from his shirt cuff. The brightly colored paper wafted down through the mottled lighting. A piece landed on Yata’s nose, and he stared at it, cross-eyed.

Pleased with himself, Lupin continued. “You can make him real happy. Tell him you forced me to give them to you at gunpoint, big bad officer.”

And this was when the sound of Yata’s radio interrupted with a scratchy static, “10 Officers en route.”

“That’s our cue, little guy. Now you better not get yourself killed being too brave,” Lupin winked, “or YOU’LL ruin his life!”

Lupin and Jigen hustled past Yata and he ducked back into his hiding place, heavily laden with briefcases, remaining traces of confetti shedding off his coat.

Jigen’s grumble was barely audible as the pair ran down the hall, “Man did you have to do that? Waste of a night...”

Yata tucked himself deep in between the box and the wall, trying to curl up and hide until backup arrived. Arms wrapped around both of the uncomfortable suitcases.

He set them aside, but the feeling didn’t go away. Like he had been handed something else very heavy, and didn’t know how to put it down.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks goes to Bones (@twentyonepairs) on Twitter for the prompt idea and to my wife and SelSpeaks for doing beta reading.


End file.
